What is the best way to get rid of poison ivy?

Answer 1

First of all, once you realize that you've walked through poison ivy, get in the shower (NOT a bath!) and scrub down your whole body. Wash with soap and water- don't use complex soaps with skin lotions of softeners. Start with a simple soap rubdown and rinse off. Then use dish soap or something that will cut and remove oils. You could also stop the shower, scrub with baking soda, and rinse. Rinse again.
Pat yourself dry and let yourself air dry completely. You could use a blowdryer without heat.

Your body makes chemicals called histamines in response to things you are allergiv too. They make you itch and in the case of poison ivy, break out in a weeping rash. Anti-histamines decrease the production or reuptake of them. This helps the itching so you won't scratch and further irritate or spread it to other areas. You should clean it with soap and water. Hot water will make it itch like crazy because your skin is releasing histamines. This is one front to attack on.

The other front is to make sure you leech out any irritant oil from the plant that is still in your skin and flush your system out as much as possible. You can apply some clay mud, as native americans do, and let it dry. When it dries, you can feel it pulling on your skin. Or buy anything that wil dry and suck up that oil, drawing it out of your skin. I have found that the clay works better, perhaps it might nourish the skin with minerals and oils.

Drink lots of water as well so that your skin is well hydrated and the natural process of flushing stuff out of your body can take place optimally. Just about any ailment resolves better if you are properly nourished and hydrated.

Some people say that a little healthy sunlight can help it dry out and heal- but excessive sun would be a bad idea. Maybe 5-20 minutes of direct sunlight on a spring afternoon like today.

I hope you get over your poison ivy quickly.

Answer 2

Whatever you do, don't put rubbing alcohol on it. That will spread the poison ivy's oils and make matters worse. There's a product I've used called Technu that will quickly dry up the running sores and help you heal faster. You can even wash your clothes in it to remove the oils from your clothes. Many drugstores and places that sell camping gear will sell Technu.
Don't bother with calamine lotion. It's a waste of money when it comes to poison ivy. It hardly reduces the itch at all and it does nothing to dry up the sores.

Answer 3

Get a bar of Lava soap. Wet the bar and gently rub it on the poison ivy until it forms a thick layer of film. Allow this to dry and stay on. Repeat 3 or 4 times a day. The drying soap pulls the moisture out of the poison ivy rash and causes it to dry up.


Psst!! - Also, the rough soap feels good scratching the rash, but don't admit to anyone that you are scratching.

Answer 4

Off of you or the lawn? Wash with warm water and soap. Don't scratch, use calamine lotion.